Ex-smoker reaps rewards beyond health

Published 1:00 am, Thursday, November 18, 2004

DANBURY - Timea cq Pinter was a 16-year-old high school junior the day she smoked her first cigarette.

"I was standing under a bridge with some girlfriends watching the water and the boats go by," Pinter said Wednesday. nov 17. "I remember the cigarette didn't taste good but I kept on doing it because everyone else at school smoked."
Like most of her classmates, Pinter believed smoking was one way to make friends and belong to a group.
"It was fun," Pinter said.
Pinter would continue smoking at Szombathely cq University in her native Hungary after she graduated from high school and even when she came to Danbury in 2001.
But all that changed eight months ago when Pinter, now 26, read some literature from the American Cancer Society and decided to quit. At the time, she was smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day.
The society, which nov 18 celebrates its 28th Great American Smokeout today, encourages potential quitters to develop a specific plan as an aid to kicking the habit.
After forming her own plan, Pinter said she stopped "cold turkey."
"My doctor told me I had asthma which I didn't want," Pinter said. "Because I like running, hiking, working out and taking care of myself, I decided I couldn't do all that and smoke at the same time."
Pinter's decision, and the money she has saved as a result, have provided her with another asset: her dream car, a 2005 silver Nissan Altima that cost her $16,000.
"My health and my need for a new car were two good reasons to quit," Pinter said. "By stopping smoking, I was able to save enough for a $1,000 down payment on the car. I considered that to be my reward."
Pinter, who is single and an office manager with a local stamp auction company, shares an apartment in Danbury with her 25-year-old sister, Boglarka, cq who smokes "socially" but who is thinking of quitting.
"It's not a temptation for me any more but I don't let my sister smoke in the apartment," said

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Timea Pinter
. "I've no regrets about quitting myself. I'd like to be a mother and a good wife one day so it's important for me to be healthy."
The society reports cigarette smoking among American adults dropped from about 42 percent of the population in 1965 to about 23 percent in 2002, the latest year for which numbers are available.
Connecticut, with an estimated 500,000 smokers including 58,000 middle and high school students, was the fourth state this year to pass a statewide smoke-free workplace law covering restaurants and bars.
Still, with tobacco continuing to be a major contributor to cancer, nationwide smoking is expected to cause about 30 percent of this year's estimated 563,700 cancer deaths.
"The Great American Smokeout is the time to make the bold move toward improving your health through quitting smoking," said Michelle cq Wolf, the society's area director for cancer control. "It is the time to tell your friends and family that you're going to quit for the day and hopefully quit for life and that you need their support."
Today may not hold much significance for 35-year-old
Brian Coughlin
, cq a Danbury auto parts salesman who has smoked cigarettes for 20 years and still goes through a pack a day.
"I've tried quitting a few times and I should give it up because of my blood pressure but it's one of life's pleasures and I find it relaxing when I'm stressed out," said Coughlin.
For another city resident, 44-year-old
Stephanie Dalfonzo
, who smoked a pack of cigarettes each day for more than 15 years, quitting was a strictly personal choice.
"I finally realized I wanted to see my kids grow up, graduate, get married and have grandchildren," said Dalfonzo, who stopped smoking 12 years ago.
Now, as a hypnotist, Dalfonzo tries to persuade others to quit.
"I haven't been doing it long but I've had some successes," Dalfonzo said. "The most important element is that the person has to want to do it."